WUHAN, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- A total of 150 critically endangered Chinese sturgeons were released on Saturday into the Yangtze River in central China's Hubei Province.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the China Three Gorges Corporation, which jointly initiated the release, said the captive-bred sturgeons included many males close to sexual maturity, which will help restock their wild population in the country's longest waterway.

Nicknamed "aquatic pandas," Chinese sturgeons have existed for more than 140 million years. The flagship species in the Yangtze, however, plummeted in population in the late 20th century due to intrusive human activities. Between 2017 and 2019, conservationists failed to detect signs of their natural reproduction in the Yangtze.

Chinese experts have started reintroduction events, including releasing captive-bred fry, to increase the wild population of sturgeons since 1984.

In recent years, China has stepped up efforts to rescue endangered species in the Yangtze River by closing polluting factories and enforcing a ten-year fishing moratorium from the beginning of this year in 332 conservation areas along the river. Enditem